Narendra Modi hurls 'poison' barb again at Congress, woos Dalits in Kerala speech

Kochi: Narendra Modi on Sunday accused Congress of following a divide and rule policy for the last 60 years and recalled the setting up of a Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities by its government as an instrument to 'sow the seeds of poison'.

Wooing the Dalits and backward classes at a public meeting here, Modi also alleged there has been a 'conspiracy' to snatch the rights given to the community by B.R. Ambedkar against the backdrop of suggestion by Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi for ending caste-based reservation.

The BJP Prime Ministerial candidate called himself 'victim of untouchability', saying Kochi mayor and Congress leader Tony Chammany did not attend the meeting though his name was among those listed on the invitation card.

Alleging that Congress had sought to make gains by dividing the society by sowing 'poisonous seeds', he said the dalits, adivasis and backward classes would have a decisive say if his party was voted to power.

There would be a 'change of government' at the Centre within 100 days after which this would be brought to an end, he added.

Modi promised that once he comes to power at the Centre, he would like to do something for his 'family', pointing towards the crowd at the meeting.

"The forthcoming decade will belong to the members of the marginalised community."

"For the past 60 years, people have indulged in vote bank politics to divide and rule. This has led to our division and fragmentation. They are experts in zeher ki kheti. The Ranganath Mishra Commission was set up to sow the seeds of poison," he told the meeting organised by the Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha (KPMS), an outfit of a prominent Scheduled Caste community.

The Ranganath Misra Commission was constituted by the UPA government on October 29. 2004 to look into various issues related to Linguistic and Religious minorities.

In its report submitted to the Government on May 21, 2007, the Commission among other things recommended 10 per cent of jobs for Muslims and five per cent for other minorities in government services and seats in educational institutions for minorities.

On a visit to Karnataka last week, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had launched an attack on the opposition BJP — accusing it of indulging in 'zeher ki kheti' (sowing seeds of poison) to attain power. Modi had hit out later saying it is Congress, not BJP, sowing seeds of poison.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi last week stepped in to try to defuse the controversy over Dwivedi's suggestion for ending caste-based quota, declaring that reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs must continue.

Apparently targetting the Nehru-Gandhi family, Modi said, 'one family thinks they have done everything for the country', and went on to add that he considered people of the country as his family.

"I have not done anything for my family after becoming Chief Minister. Now I will do somthing for my family. Not to the family into which I was born. You (people) are my family," he told the rally.

In a speech replete with references to reformers who fought casteism and untouchability in Kerala and outside like Sree Narayana Guru, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Ayyankali and B.R. Ambedkar, he said 'with great humility and confidence I will tell you that Dalits, backward classes and other less privileged sections will have great say in the country in the next 10 years'.

Modi said history of the last century shows that most reformers were from backward communities or were Dalits who spent their lives in the service of the downtrodden.

Striking a personal note, Modi said he was fully aware of the hardships of the socially and economically backward sections as his mother had supported his family by washing vessels and drawing water for other households. He recalled that as a boy, he supported his family as 'chai wallah' in a railway station. 

Modi inaugurated the centenary celebrations of 'Kayal Samaram', organised by Kerala Pulayar Maha, Kerala's leading Scheduled Community here.

'Kayal Samaram' was a meet held on a platform of country boats on Kochi backwaters to assert the rights of backward community Pulayar's in Kerala society.

Significant presence at the function was the leader of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP), an organisation of powerful Ezhava community, Vellapalli Natesan.

Natesan in his address praised Modi's development work at Gujarat and said "Modi, who came from a backward community, proved that persons from backward also could provide a good governance."